Baxter Troutman Accused of Hitting Wife With Bedspread

Troutman is accused of throwing a bedspread that struck Rebecca Troutman in the face Sunday night at their Winter Haven home.

By RICK ROUSOSTHE LEDGER

WINTER HAVEN | Deputies have accused former state Rep. Baxter Troutman of battering his wife.Troutman is accused of throwing a bedspread that struck Rebecca Troutman in the face Sunday night at their Winter Haven home. After the bedspread was thrown, she asked him to leave the room. He refused, "so she pushed him out of the room," and Baxter Troutman then "pushed her back against her will," a Polk County sheriff's deputy wrote in a report.Sunday was Baxter Troutman's 46th birthday.He is the grandson of the late citrus and cattle magnate Ben Hill Griffin Jr.Troutman was charged with domestic violence-battery and spent the night in the Polk County Jail. His wife wasn't arrested."It's a silly set of circumstances," Troutman said Monday night. He declined further comment.Rebecca Troutman told deputies the comforter hit her in the face. Baxter Troutman said it didn't hit her.Deputy Bradley Staton wrote in the arrest report that there were no apparent injuries to Rebecca Troutman.Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said people routinely go to jail for less than what Troutman is accused of.He said if a deputy leaves without making an arrest, the Sheriff's Office is liable if one of the two people later injures the other. Deputies can't just separate the spouses for the night, Judd said."There is no middle ground," he said. "If you don't want somebody to go to jail, you better dadgum not call the Sheriff's Office." Judd said the Sheriff's Office by law can't disclose who made the 911 call that brought a deputy to the home.Troutman served as a Republican state representative in District 66. He was first elected in 2002 and served four terms, but was forced to leave the state House in 2010 because of term limits.He proposed to Rebecca Troutman on the floor of the House in 2008.She told deputies she and her husband haven't been getting along recently.